Some electronic control devices operate on an “on-demand” basis, meaning that the devices are configured to perform their dedicated function(s) only when requested or called upon by another control system, which will be hereafter referred to as a “remote control system.” One example of such an on-demand electronic device is an inventory control device attached to a bin for storing medical supply items in healthcare facilities such as hospitals. Such a device often includes a controller (e.g., a processor) for carrying out various functions relating to inventory of the medical supply items in the bins to which the device is attached, and may further include a transceiver for wirelessly communicating inventory control information, such as the quantity of the supply items, to a remote control system that is configured to communicate with multiple devices/bins.
Because on-demand electronic devices, such as the inventory control device described above, typically are powered by a battery, it is important to minimize the power consumption by the devices as much as possible in order to avoid frequent battery replacement. However, it is often the case that at least a portion of the controller and/or the transceiver (especially the receiver portion) in an on-demand electronic device needs to remain at least partially active in order to “listen for” or detect a wake-up request or other commands wirelessly sent from the remote control system. A familiar example is a “watch-dog” function available in some processors. Under the watch-dog function, a processor is initially placed in an inactive (e.g., sleep) mode involving very little or no power consumption, and when the processor receives a signal input at a pin dedicated for the watch-dog function, the processor wakes up from the inactive mode and changes to an operation mode involving full power consumption. Similar watch-dog functions are available in some available transceivers. However, even in the inactive mode, the power consumption can be nontrivial, especially if the receiver side of the transceiver has to remain active in order to detect a signal from the remote control system. Such nontrivial power consumption will drain batteries more rapidly than desirable.
Hence, there is a need for improvement in a system and method for extending the battery life in on-demand electronic control devices such as wireless inventory control devices.